IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 431 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in disapproval of the 

Senate’s modern filibuster rule. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 

Mr. GRIFFITH (for himself, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. FLORES, Mr. GOODLATTE, 

Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. WESTERMAN, Mr. ABRAHAM, and Mr. BURGESS) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Rules 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in 

disapproval of the Senate’s modern filibuster rule. 

Whereas the Founding Fathers never intended for a significant portion of the Senate’s business to be able to be 

blocked by a minority; 

Whereas the modern filibuster/cloture rule undermines the 

noble principles upon which this Nation was founded; 

Whereas the historic filibuster rule required 60 votes to stop 

debate if a Senator was standing in the well of the Senate debating a bill; 

Whereas in the 1970s the rule was changed to allow Senators 

to place an anonymous hold by making a request to the 


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•HRES 431 IH 

Senate Majority Leader to simply announce their intention to filibuster; 

Whereas today a Senator no longer has to be present to filibuster a bill on the Senate floor, meaning it requires a 

supermajority to begin debate rather than to end debate; 

Whereas the Senate’s rule XXII, known as the cloture rule, 

requires 16 Senators to initiate the process to end debate 

by introducing a motion; 

Whereas once the cloture motion is made, it requires the 

votes of at least three-fifths of all Senators (normally 60 

votes), or a supermajority, to invoke cloture; 

Whereas the Republic of these United States based on democratic principles cannot long survive if the vast majority 

of issue legislation requires a supermajority in order to 

advance; 

Whereas both Democrats and Republicans have used the 

modern filibuster/cloture rule to stall legislative policy 

that a majority might otherwise support; 

Whereas the current Senate modern filibuster/cloture rule has 

been a major reason for the gridlock in recent years; 

Whereas nearly all Senate business as a result of the modern 

Senate filibuster/cloture rule requires 60 votes to process, 

a high hurdle that runs counter to the intent of our Nation’s Founding Fathers; 

Whereas the House of Representatives passes legislation that 

the Senate may not agree with completely, but as a result 

of the modern Senate filibuster/cloture rule, the Senate 

is essentially limited from making a legislative 

counteroffer to the House; 


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•HRES 431 IH 

Whereas eliminating the modern filibuster/cloture rule will 

allow more legislation passed by the House to be voted 

on in the Senate and, thus, more compromises can be 

reached; 

Whereas the historical filibuster rule is a better way for a 

Democratic-Republican form of government to function; 

and 

Whereas the historical filibuster rule is how the process is intended to work, and it is essential to building the consensus and compromise expected of its leaders by the 

American people: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses its firm disapproval of the Sen3 ate’s modern filibuster rule; 

4 (2) urges the Senate to abandon the modern fil5 ibuster rule and return to the historical filibuster 

6 rule, thereby ending the process of anonymous holds; 

7 and 

8 (3) reaffirms its commitment to work with the 

9 Senate to end gridlock and pass legislation through 

10 regular order, including resolving legislative dif11 ferences via conference committee, to complete the 

12 work that the American people expect from its Con13 gress. 

Æ 


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